Where to Write Our Hurts and Where Kindnesses

Where to Write Our Hurts and Where Kindnesses

Two long time good friends were walking through a desert. They got into a discussion that turned into a heated argument. Heat of the altercation became so intense that one hit the other with a slap across his face. The latter felt hurt but remained quiet. After walking a little longer he sat down and wrote in the sand, “Today, my friend slapped me.”

They resumed their journey and reached an oasis where they planned to stop and do some business. Noticing a small pond in the middle of a marsh they felt tempted to go in and take a bath. The one who had been slapped got trapped in quicksand and was in danger of drowning. His friend rescued him putting his own life at risk.

The one first slapped and then rescued walked quietly until they came to a big rock. With a steel chisel he etched the following words on it. “Today my friend risked his life to save mine.” The friend asked, “Dear friend, why did you write the first incident on sand and the second on a rock?”

He answered, “I wrote my hurt on the sand so that the wind will soon blow it clean and make it easy to forget. But I wish always to remember your kindness of saving my life. So I etched it in stone.”